Ensilage protector



Dec. 1, 1925- 1564.085 A. MCMILLAN ENS ILAGE PROTECTOR Fiied March 17. 1925 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Dec. 1, 1925. 1.564.085

A. MCMILLAN ENSILAGE PROTECTOR Filed March 17, 1925 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 IHIIIIIIIIIII|IIIIIUT IN VEN TOR.

Patented Dec. 1, 1925.

UNITED STATES l,5ti i,085

ALLIE MGMILLAN, OF EMBIARRAS S, WISCONSIN.

ENSILAGE PROTECTOR.

Application filed March 17, 1925. Serial No. 16,258.

To all whom it may concern I Be it known that I, ALLIE MGMILLAN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Embarrass, in the county of VVaupa-ca and State of Wisconsin, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Ensilage Protectors, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to devices for protecting the contents of containers, such as silos and the like, and has for one of its objects to improve the construction and increase efliciency and utility of devices of this character.

Another object of the invention is to provide a device of this character which is eX- pansible by gravity against the walls of the silo or other container, and which may be distended by force vertically applied to remove or change the posit-ion of the-device.

Another object of the invention is to provide a device of this character comprising a central post adapted to rest upon the contents of the container, and expansible rim movably associated with said post, and a flexible element attached to said rim.

invention consists in certain novel features oi" construction ashereinafter shown and de scribed and then specifically pointed out in the claims, and in the drawings illustrative of the preferred embodiment of the invention. i

Fig. 1, is a plan view of the improved device.

Fig. 2, is a transverse section.

Fig. 8, is a side elevation on a reduced scale of the improved device arranged within a section of a conventional silo.

Fig. 4., is an enlarged detail partly in sectiou,illustrating the construction of the expansible rim.

The improved device is designed more particularly for use in a silo to protect the ensilage, but may be employed wherever a protecting device is required, and comprises a rim portion formed of a plurality of segmental sections 10 preferably tubular, with their confronting ends normally in spaced relation, and with pins 11 disposed within the sections and bridging the gap between them. Each of the pins 11 is preferably attached as at 12 to one of the rim sections and slidable at the other end in the adjacent section and constitute guides which also serve for closing the gaps between the sections.

By this means an cxpansible and contractible rim is provided.

For the purpose of illustration three of the rim sections 10 are shown but this number may be changed as required.

Disposed centrally of the rim sections is a post member 13, preferably tubular, and slidable on the post is a runner member 1 1 having radially directed ears between which brace members 15 are pivoted at one end as shown at 16.

Formed upon each of the segmental sections 10 are spaced cars 17 between each pair of which the outer ends of the ribs 15 are respectively pivoted as shown at 18.

For the purpose of illustration two of the ribs 15 are shown associated with each of the rim sections, but this number may be changed as required.

'At its lower end the post 13 is provided witha laterally directed foot 19, and attached to the foot is a pull cable 20 which extends through the post and is adapted to be operated in any suitable manner, not shown, to apply upward strain upon the post, as hereafter explained.

A sheet 21 of flexible material such as can. vas or the like is attached to the rim sections, and perforated centrally to slidably engage the post 13.

Attached to the post 13 at its upper end is n head member 22havi11g spaced perforated cars 23 through which guide pins 24 extend, as shown, and attached to the ears 17 are flexible stay members such as chains 25, and attached to each of the stay members is a flexible pull member, such as a chain 26, each pull member passing beneath one of the guide pins 28 and thence upwardly to a ring 27 common to all of the pull members, a pull cable 28 leading u nvardly from the ring as shown.

For the purpose of illustration the improved device is shown in Fig. 3 arranged within a; silo structure, a section of which is shown at 29 in Fig. 8, and a portion of the ensilage indicated at 30 with the foot member 19 resting on the latter.

lVhen the improved device is to be applied it is lifted by power applied to the pull cable 28, to cause the pull members 26 to contract the rim sections and reduce the diameter of the device to a: sutficient extent to permit it to be disposed within the container, for instance a silo structure, and lowered therein until the foot 19 rests upon the ensilage, as shown in Fig. 3. The strain upon the pull member 28 is then released, to' permit the rim member and its attachments to settle downwardly by gravity and expand the rim sections against-the inner walls of the container, and thus form a relatively airtight closure within the container and'p rotecting the ensilage or other contents of the container.

When thus employed, the pull member 20 is noneffective, but if the device is to be located ithi-n the container at anypoint spaced above the ensilage or other contents, a pulling force is applied to the pull member 20 to hold'the toot. member 19 at the poinitwhere the protector device is to be located and'held in that position, andwhen' the other pull member 28 is released, the expansion of the rim members will hold the device at'th e new location, and this location will be maintained so long as strain is applied to the supplemental pull memberEZO.

A stop collar 31 is disposed on the post 13 and'held' at any desired position by a set screw 32, to limit the upward movement of the runner 14:.

The improved device is simple in construction, can be constructed of any required size, or of any required material or combination of materials.

The post 13 may be of any required length, so that the space betweenthe ensilage and the protector device may be of any required area.

\Vhen a port-ion of the ensilage is to be removed, the protector device may be elevated to provide space for the workman, and then lowered again to protective position when the required quantity of the ensilage has been removed.

The preferred embodiment of the inven tion is disclosed in the drawings and set forth in the specification but it will be understood that modifications within the scope of the claimed invention may be made in the construction without departing from the principle of the invent-ion or sacrificing any of its advantages.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new is:

i. In a device of the class described, a rim of tubular segn'iented-sections with their terminals movable toward and away from each other, guides slidably fitted in the ends ad jacent to each other of the sections for closing the gaps therebetween, a flexible sheetconnected to said segmental sections, a central post member, a runner member slidable on said post, a plurality of ribs pivoted at the ends respectively tosaid rim sections and to the runner, and means for adjusting saidsections vertically to expand and contract the same.

2-. In a device of the class described, a rim of tubular segmental sections with theirterminals mo able toward and away from each other, guides slidably titted in the ends ad-' jacent to each other of the sections for closing the gaps-therebetween, a flexible sheet connected to said segmental sections, a tubular post having a laterally directed -foot portion, a. runner member slid'aible on said post, aplurality of ribs pivoted at the ends respectively to said runner and to said rim sections, apull member attached to said foot portion and extending through said tubular post, and means for adjusting said rim sections vertically to expand and'contract the same.

3. In a device of the class described, a rim oi tubular segmented sections with their terminals movable toward and away from each other, guides slidably-fitted in the ends adjacent to each other of the sections for closing. the gaps therebetween, a flexible sheet connected to saidsegmental sections, a central post member, a runner. member slidable on said post, a guide member attached to said post, aplurality of ribs pivoted at the ends respectively to said rim sections and to the runner, a plurality of pull members attached relatively to said rim members and leading through said guide unember and adapted to be operated to apply strain to the rim members to contract the same.

4:. The combination with an enclosure of a rim of tubular segmental sections with their terminals movable toward and away from each other, guides slidably fitted in the ends adjacent to each other of the sections for elosingathe gaps therebetween, a flexible sheet connected to said segmental sections, and means for expanding said segmental. sections,- to. cause the rim sections to be pressed against the interior of the enclosure.

In testimony whereof, Iaflix my signature hereto.

ALLIE MQMILLAN. 

